Official Pest Report
Official Pest Reports are provided by National Plant Protection Organizations within the NAPPO region. These Pest Reports are intended to comply with the International Plant Protection Convention's Standard on Pest Reporting, endorsed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2002.
Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri (Imported Fire Ant): APHIS Removes Doña Ana County in New Mexico from the Quarantined Area
Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri (Imported Fire Ant): APHIS Removes Doña Ana County in New Mexico from the Quarantined Area
Country: United States
Title:
Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri (Imported Fire Ant): APHIS Removes Doña Ana County in New Mexico from the Quarantined Area
Contact:
Ron Weeks, National Policy Manager, at Ron.D.Weeks@usda.gov or 919-559-4311
Report:
Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is removing the entire area of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, from the imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri; IFA) quarantined area. APHIS is removing this county based on three consecutive years of negative survey results in accordance with criteria listed in the “Guidelines for Deregulation” in the Imported Fire Ant Program Manual. The attached Federal Order includes the associated reference to 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §§ 301.81 through 301.81-11. that lists the provisions for establishing and updating quarantined areas, and the interstate movement of IFA-regulated articles from quarantined areas.
The Federal IFA quarantine prevents artificial (human-assisted) spread of IFA. In 1999, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, became the only county in the State quarantined for IFA. With this change, the remaining States federally regulated for IFA are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the United States territory of Puerto Rico.
The APHIS IFA webpage contains the full lists of IFA-quarantined areas and regulated articles. APHIS will publish a notice of this change in the Federal Register.
Under IPPC standards, Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri are pests that are present: not widely distributed and under official control in the United States.
Posted Date: Sept. 19, 2025, 3:56 p.m.